French double bass or not?

[Jake deVilliers]

Here are a few pix of Al's 'French' bass. The varnish is gorgeous, the f-holes are nice and scowly and the carved back is sharp and deep. The tuning gears appear to be original.

Let me know what you think...there are more and bigger pix at www.thebassspa.com --> Gallery --> Woakes Bass

[Jake deVilliers]

Encore...

[Jake deVilliers]

Nice, eh?

[Eric Hochberg]

Beautiful bass, better ask Msr. Smith.

[Jake deVilliers]

The photos don't do the varnish justice. The indoor pix make it look murky and the outdoor ones turn it orange. It sounds nice under the bow (Al's bow anyway!) but seems to be stifled.

I have posted pix on Ken's site...

[Heifetzbass]

I would be willing to bet that it is.
BG

[Don Higdon]

The interior of the peg box appears to be painted. I visited about 6 major luthiers in Paris years ago. I remember being told that French makers did not blacken the pegbox interiors.

[foilracer]

Inside the bass, written on the back in pencil......

"A. W. Crosby Lorain Ohio 1944" .

In 2005 I believe we tried to locate some info about this bass but with little success. Has anyone heard of Mr. Crosby?

talkbass has been a very good resource and I'll take this moment....

to say...........



THANKS BASS GUYS! -foil

[Jake deVilliers]

That's an interesting observation Don.

I remember it as varnished...maybe Al will have a look at it and report back. The bass won't be here until late July.

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

That's an interesting observation Don.

I remember it as varnished...maybe Al will have a look at it and report back. The bass won't be here until late July.

My Jacquet is natural. Ken Smith shows a Vuillaume school bass with a similarly natural box.

[foilracer]

I think the neck has been replaced, or?

I think the scroll is original and was "preserved".

I can see the outline of old scroll/ new neck "graft".

Jake will know when he inspects the bass in July. The pegbox
is not "black paint"...the original pegbox wood finish matches the beautiful
color of the bass and the tuners are either original or very well fitting replacements.

-Al

[Nuno A.]

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

The interior of the peg box appears to be painted. I visited about 6 major luthiers in Paris years ago. I remember being told that French makers did not blacken the pegbox interiors.

I checked the old basses we have here at Velvet and from the 3 old French Mirecourt we have here, 2 have the interior or the pegbox painted and one not. Also we have here a old German or Hungarian bass that doesnt have the interior of the pegbox painted... go figure.
the 3 old French basses all have the original scroll, of course that i cant say that the stained interior is original or not.
The bass looks French although i have see several nice German basses that were also very similar... if it sounds good, it sounds good

Nuno

[MT Spaces]

Originally Posted by foilracer

..... talkbass has been a very good resource and I'll take this moment.... to say ........ THANKS BASS GUYS! ....

Me Too Al Thanks TB. Plus ..... I want to Thank You Personally Al (and The Missus Marcia ... Hope I spelt-it right ) ... You are Good-Folks !

I was sitting on the end of Troy'n'Kirsten's couch next-to Marcia ... At the PacNW TBDB Fest.

Troy's Son ..... Del was just-wakin'-up and getting-back-with-The-Program .... Then Did A Pursed-Lip-Deal ..... Forehead-In-The-Air ..... Face ... WWII old film-stuff ..... Man It Was Classic.

.... Me and Marcia were on the same page .... Laughing .... Del was Winston Churchill !! Plus Marcia takes a damn-good Pic .... Those are the ones we posted about the misfit PacNW gathering .... She did those and I believe we owe her Royalties now.

Say Al .... 10-20 ..... Where the Heck does yer ... Foil-Racer Handle ... Come-from ???

Thanks for playing all those basses with your bow. I learned a lot ... Really great sounds.

I marvelled at Your bass I am supposed to be talking about here in all-seriousness . ..... The swell-back of that carved-whatever-bass you have is Awesome. It looks like a litter of cellos may squirt-out sometime soon. Like Jake said out in Seattle ....Damn .... Someone must have started with a piece of fine-hardwood at least 2+ inches thick and then graduated the back from there. Al .... I was / am impressed with that Bass you have ... Gorgeous ..... What-ever it is ..... With some coaxing / listening / re-grad'ing / and reworking ..... Seems like it will be right at Home in The PacNW.

[foilracer]

Thanks Bob, good to hear news and read about Dottie.....
and your jam sessions....my C.D. is called "Foilracer"...from the song I wrote of the same name....(a "foilracer" might be a little gum wrapper foil race car made for a young child...or by a "young at heart" person)....if you send me a p.m. with your address i'll mail you a copy of the C.D. ( that goes for you other PNW "clinic" attendees as well)....

so to stay in line with the topic of the bass in this thread....the first "unstifling" adjustment I made after the (Woakes Bass) return to me on 5/24/09 was...

SWITCHING peg assignments E and A ...it worked on my other bass and also on this bass...."it works"!

-Al

[foilracer]

Could you good people with great eyes for comparison please
list the differences between this mystery bass on this thread
to the pictures at worldofbasses page two of Fortier's bass...?

basswraith?
squarebear?
bcalbin?
dratomic?......I see similarities and was surprised at the
"f - f" placement related to the corners....

other comments? similar? different?

Where is the "stamp" located on the bass in the WOB picture?

Thank you..foilracer

[Steve Swan]

It sure looks like a real French bass to me. Out here George Woodall used to get a lot of French basses in his shop. This one would fit right in.